1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to audio products. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods for enhancing audio transmitted from a portable media player.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the advancements in audio technology, increased memory storage, and increased computer processing power, attention has been placed on providing advanced audio effects on computers through software and in some cases add-in boards such as PCI boards.
Concurrently, the field of portable audio has also expanded dramatically. Current portable devices are capable of storing and rendering thousands of music and other audio tracks over headphones or other sound reproduction transducers connected to the portable players. Many of these devices are small enough to be carried in a user's pocket. Unfortunately, many of the advanced audio effects presently available and expected to be available in the future require processing demands so large that they cannot be easily integrated within the portable devices without adversely affecting the portability nature of the devices. Further constraints are imposed on the portable device from power requirements and the need to load or manage content in the device. Currently, content is conventionally loaded into the device by tethering the device to a host PC, for example by a USB cable. Typically, a content management program is run on the PC in order to download the content.
In order to conserve storage space in the portable device and to minimize the bandwidth requirements for transmission of the content, audio content loaded from the host PC is compressed, for example according to an mp3 or wma codec. These codecs provide good fidelity when decoded but nonetheless provide music that is lacking in some attributes. Unfortunately, portable media players provide very little options for the user to modify the perceptual attributes of the sound rendered by the portable device. These typically include nothing more than equalization and fail to suitable address the customized listening needs of the user or the environment.
Portable media devices often place heavy demands on power from batteries integrated into the device. These batteries are often rechargeable but need at least intermittent connection to a power supply for recharging.
The typical user's experience thus involves listening to “flat” music through headphones, periods where the device's batteries are connected to a power supply for recharging, and periods of connecting the portable device to a host PC for managing the device's content. Unfortunately, each of these steps often is incompatible with other ones of the steps, hence requiring multiple cables and familiarity with various software programs.
It is therefore desirable to provide a device and methods capable of improving the user experience for the user of a portable media player.